Good Days
by ThePhizz
Summary: FINISHED. Confusion, ice cream, a not-so-mystery character and... 'He gestured towards her chest. “Where did those come from?” '
1. Chapter 1

The accomplished, talented and jellyfish-brained man took a double take. He was confused. This was normal.

Well, _that _was normal, him being confused. But the situation wasn't. No, not so normal at all. What had happened to Xellos?

See, this was why he shouldn't leave Lina's side. Didn't his friend realize that whenever they split up, even temporarily, crazy things happened? The last time he'd been forced to chase pink dragons with some old people and Amelia while Lina chased around a pink with Zel.

Although Lina probably didn't know and wouldn't have expected him to, Gourry still remembered that incident. It hadn't happened too long ago and the experience he'd been through had been so weird he didn't entirely forget it. Never had he felt so off-footed.

For once in his life, he'd seemed to have been the sanest, most knowledgeable, owner of the most common sense, and most confused-as-hell person in an entire town.

Plus, he still had questions about that pig. And imagining Lina in that little girlish blue dress (Zel had told him about the outfit late at night, after Lina had fallen asleep. Gourry had made him. Down to the exact color of the stockings and every fold and wrinkle and frill.), never failed to make him smile and mentally go 'Awww'.

No, they _really_ shouldn't ever split up.

He took a few steps backward, ignoring the people he knocked over.

Was it Xellos? No, maybe. It looked like Xellos…a relative perhaps?

The blond wondered if he should say something. If it was Xellos, then no big deal, right? The thought that it might not be Xellos and that the person might be insulted being compared to a man never crossed his mind.

Politely, he tapped the woman (or was it?) on the shoulder. She turned, expression calm. The merchant she'd been talking to let out a sigh of relief.

Gourry let out little gasp. "When did you become a woman?"

The woman looked at first as confused as the swordsman had moments earlier, then amused.

"Excuse me?" It didn't sound like Xellos, but…that hair…

He gestured towards her chest. "Where did those come from?"

The humor was beginning to die in her face. It reminded Gourry of Lina.

"It's just that, the last time we saw you, you were you know…a guy."

"I think you might be mistaken sir." She turned back to the pale and sweating merchant.

"No, isn't that you Xellos?"

"No, I assure you it is not." Underneath her long bangs, a smile and a glint appeared. Both the glint and the smile were like daggers that were waiting and begging to be whetted with blood. Gourry however possessed a trait that Lina would have gladly killed for. Somehow, the glint and smile that had sent dragons running away, sweating and pledging to never kidnap another princess again and to turn vegetarian, didn't affect the tall blond man.

Instead of fleeing, screaming at the top of his lungs, Gourry returned the smile, his considerable more cheerful. Unlike Luna's, this one would have, in fact, _had _a few times, sent dragon to their knees, wondering where Gourry had been their entire life and if he tasted as good as he looked. It was the one that, although he was oblivious to, (oh sure, his mother said he had a sweet smile and a handsome face, but mother's said that stuff.) had left a bunch of broken hearts across the continent and even further. The charming one that made Lina fight to control herself from grabbing and kissing him and then belting him across the ocean for making her do that.

The wind ruffled his long hair back, and the swordsman enjoyed the sensation. It had been a hot day and even in the relative shade of the marketplace, it was a place where you just wanted to lay down with a block of ice and never move again. Not as much as it was in Saillune, but it was still quite warm.

The woman took in Gourry appearance, eyeing first his nice sword, then his actual body. She felt a smile grow on her pale face. It had been too long since she'd faced a challenge.

The merchant slipped away into a nearby alley and was gladly beaten up and robbed by some robbers Lina had missed. At least he thought, laying there bleeding into a pile of garbage and unmentionables,_ I escaped from that terrible woman_. The bandits had taken the money he'd had that day. The woman had wanted to take that and multiply it by the rest of his life.

Gourry continued to look her over. He shrugged. "Sorry, ma'am. I guess I had you confused with someone else."

"Obviously." The pale woman crossed her arms across her chest, amused and more unsettled by his calmness than any of the man's rude comments and open stares. _Ma'am._ She didn't think anyone had called her that without her scaring it into them since the age of six or so.

Who was this young man?

Maybe he was just so stupid—No, the smile-glint had worked on babies and puppies before. On _jellyfish_ that had dared to come near her when she'd been swimming in the ocean.

Perhaps he possessed some odd _thing_ that allowed him to exist outside the normal laws of reality?

The tall swordsman scratched his head, and looked a bit embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to bother you ma'am. Lina sometimes says my tongue is split in two or something." He gave a little laugh while the purple-haired woman mentally corrected him about the forked tongue saying. Then his words, the name, whacked her in the head.

_Lina. Lina. Lina._

A sinister, pleased, hopefully, utterly malicious smile grew on her face. Gourry continued to smile and spent a second adjusting his armor while the woman looked at him in a way that only Lina had when she would put him in a dress.

Lina.

_It can't be. It might be. I bet only one of Lina's companions would be able to stand the smile-glint. Was he her companion? _A list grew in her mind.

Friend: No way of really knowing yet. He said Lina's name pleasantly, so 'friend' seemed most likely.

Lover: He was a fine, attractive gentlemen, although she had expected more from Lina than just to fall for a pretty face. But…he had withstood one of her smiles…and the sword at his hip looked to be fine quality. She could tell from just looking at him that he was a decent swordsman. A good, fancy expensive sword that he knew how to wield and probably meant that he had money.

Hmmm, good for Lina then. She might not have completely screwed up then.

Husband: No ring. Yet.

Enemy: He spoke of Lina fondly though. Still, Lina had a huge list of enemies.

All of the above: Maybe. It _was _Lina.

Well, maybe.

"_Lina _you say?" She began in a casual voice. Already, a thousand and twelve excuses and explanations popped into her head if he asked why she wanted to hear about Lina. Maybe she could even tell him the truth, which she knew a Lina and wanted to know if it was the same one.

"Yeah, Lina…how-did-that-go-again…Um, Lina Inverse, sorceress…explosion? Extinguisher? Something like that."

Luna smiled. Indeed.

"Really, _the_ Lina Inverse?

"Um, I think so. I _hope_ she's the only one." Gourry laughed pleasantly and then the woman laughed as well.

This man really was something. And it was something good too. Maybe he was _entirely _there upstairs, but Lina wouldn't let someone completely stupid and/or insane travel with her. Probably not, anyway.

Already, millions of words, thoughts, phrases, and things in general popped into her head. Oh, this was such a fine day. She couldn't remember being this happy and satisfied in a long time.

* * *

Lina licked her Popsicle, happily unaware that the Gods and Mazoku had settle for a moment in the Sea of Chaos to come together, sit on a comfy couch, eat the popcorn Lord of Nightmares had popped for them, and laugh at her. 

She looked around the marketplace, content for the first time in a long time that things were going well. No craziness to deal with, a relaxing vacation in a nice town with lots of great things to eat and a surprising amount of various magic shops around. If this was a dream, Lina didn't want to wake up.

The only thing that could make things better was if Zel and Amelia were with her (well, at least traveling with her; every girl needs some privacy after all) and she'd discovered a cure for Zel (and who knew, she just might in one of those magic stores!), then Zel and Amelia could declare their love for each other, run off to get married and live happily after while Lina made cracks about their wedding night. Hell, they'd be so grateful they would name their first born after her and give her some nice tax-free prime real estate in Saillune. And then treat her to a big dinner.

Oh, and maybe discover some stupid, naïve merchants that didn't know a good deal for themselves if it whacked them in the groin. Already she'd run into some great deals and managed to finagle a few fine treats from some happy then not-so-happy salesmen.

Who knew, maybe when she returned back to the inn, she'd discover a Naked-except-for-some-chocolate-whipped-cream-cherries-cameral-butterscotch-honey-Dragon Cuisine-Gourry laying in her bed…

Lina stumbled, dropped her Popsicle with a cursed aimed at her best friend, and nearly ran into a pillar, then a wall, then a cart, then some innocent pedestrians. She maneuvered her way around the street, looking for another ice-cream cart and hoping the blush on her face wasn't too apparent.

_No, that might…okay, maybe…nice…muscular and blonde…chocolate with a cherry on top of..._

And then the image of Gourry spraying whipped cream on his 'rippled pecks,' a phrase she'd read from one of Amelia's romance novels, (not that she read that trash. She had just_ accidentally_ picked it up and had glanced through it. Totally innocently.), popped into her head and she ran into another cart.

Luckily, it was an ice-cream cart, so she wasn't too angry.

On this day, anything could happen. She could feel it in the pleasant tingling in her fingers that was not unlike magic.

She lapped at the cone in her hand, walking away from the crying, now-poorer server, without a glance back. And just like the romance novel(s) she may or may not have glanced through (she admitted nothing and it wasn't anyone's business what she read, and never mind if she'd teased Amelia about her reading interests because that was Amelia and not her), there was nothing wrong with eating this ice cream cone. So what if it was chocolate, had cherries, whipped cream, and was cameral and butter scotched drizzled. She'd had a craving for that stuff that was all. And it the cone was dragon shaped, so be it.

Really and truly and honestly, if the sprinkles were a bit…phallic shaped…then that was the sprinkle makers fault. And all the nuts pilled on top…well, it wasn't really ice cream without a bit of nut.

Lina Inverse was not a pervert. Nor was she sexually repressed. Just hungry.

"Lina?" said a polite voice.

Lina, turned, expected some distance acquaintance coming to thank her for some good deed done a while back. Or someone that wanted revenge.

Luna stood behind her.

Time stopped and so did Lina's heart temporarily. Too frightened and shocked to even think about running, she stood locked-still. Every muscle tensed and screamed. Nerves and tendons howled. Blood froze and icebergs gently scraped against each other in her heart. She couldn't even find the strength to breathe, and black flowers of unconsciousness blossomed in her eyes.

What clothes Luna was doing here, why and how she was there didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was smiling. Smiling. _Smiling._

Suddenly, ever muscle weakened and Lina's knees began to shake. Oxygen, too much of it entered her lungs and she huffed it out in a moaning whistle. Only the hand holding her ice cream remained still and unaffected.

Vaguely, from a distance say between Saillune and the end of the universe, she wondered when the last time she'd even sent a letter home was. And how long had it been since she'd left.

"Hello, dear Lina."

"Hey, Lina, this lady says she knows you!" Gourry grinned at her, as though the world was an alright place and reality hadn't crashed and died. In her heart of hearts, she damned him a thousands slow deaths, and enjoyed how handsome he looked when smiling.

The black flowers grew to bouquets. Then a garden sprouted.

Lina, faced with her biggest fear, did what most would do in the same situation.

She dropped her cone. Then she fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

__

You know, my first memory was of Luna. Not magic, or my parents or even a nice cuddly teddy bear. Luna.

_I don't even remember how old I was, or what exactly had happened, but I do know that, er… there had been fire involved. _

_Now I know what you might be thinking. "Lina, how ever did you let a tiny bit of fire get out of control?" Well, I was pretty young. And it didn't even involve magic then. And I didn't even know any (much) magic at that age. _

_Maybe it had been as simple as getting too close to our old soot covered fireplace, who knows?_

_My parents had been busy running the shop and in their poor misguided way, had put…_her_ in charge._

_Then…my sister. _

_Sometimes I still wake up in the dead of night, in a cold sweat, clutching the nearest object after dreaming about that day; and let me tell you, there were _plenty_ of uncomfortable mornings around the fire. _

_Luna had walked into the room, possibly holding something before dropping it (I think I can recall a thump) and in a flash she was there. Standing above me and…not grinning. Not smiling. But…that was a blank. _

_She had said my name in a-- I don't know the exact tone, not now, but it was something that caused tears to come to my poor eyes and made me want to go deaf. Then she was there and crushing me and—_

'Phallic-shaped sprinkles.'

Those were the first words to pop into her head and she forgot everything else but the concerned blond man holding her. His face was just above hers and she could feel his breath on her face. For a moment, the sorceress forgot everything that had happened. Things were at peace. Gourry was holding her protectively and while she objected to him acting like she was a vulnerable damsel, it was kinda nice being so close to him.

No one was around to tease them anyway, Gourry wouldn't tell anyone, no one except Amelia who was crazy anyhow would believe him if he did, and what was so wrong with enjoying a hug once in a while?

Lina nearly snuggled closer to her friend and fell asleep again. Gourry's tense body and the repetitive noise of him saying her name over and over were the only things to spoil her plan. Gradually, she squirmed and began to pay more attention to her surroundings.

There was a spot of ice cream on his shirt and chin, and a piece of nut stuck to his pants, and Lina wondered with some shock and guilt if he'd somehow read her mind. No, alas, he was still clothed, and they were even his regular clothes.

Then, things began to come back. Terrible things, like sharks heading towards unsuspecting swimmers, rose in her memory.

Like that tsunami that she'd caused using a Dragon Slave…Clouds of dust in the desert that had blinded her and made her run into Gourry hard enough to bring tears to her eyes…Tall cold mountains that they'd have to climb rising on the icy tundra on their way to fight Valgaav…Wind blowing up that skirt she'd been blackmailed into wearing when she was nine and about to give a speech in front of the Sorcerer's Guild…Xellos leaning forward to kiss her…

With a trembling hand, she grabbed Gourry shirt and pulled him close. So frightened was she that she didn't even stop to think about that fate of her ice cream.

"We have to _leave."_ She croaked, sounding like a cross between a frog and an old woman.

Gourry, frightened, held her close. She was shaking like some scarred little kitten and all Gourry wanted was to comfort her. What had happened? Had the heat gotten to her? A bad dream?

Why had that nice lady scared her so badly?

The swordsman began rocking her protesting body back and forth like a baby and crooned one of the lullabies his mother had sang him when he'd been small. Gourry easily ignored the odd looks and few coins thrown at him. He'd been singing and rocking for the last five minutes that she'd been unconscious. It seemed to work: she _had _woken up.

It was nice really. It reminded him of his happy younger days: Gourry had done the exact same thing to comfort the various babies/pets he'd taken care of when he'd lived at home.

Lina, however, was not a cat or dog or bird or even a lizard despite the rumors. She did not approve of being held like a baby and she didn't care much for her friend's singing voice. _She needed to get away. _

For a moment, she bucked her common dragon-like traits and instead focused on working on her feline imitation. Like his own cats used to, Lina began to hiss and claw at him and tried to squirm away. She mumbled nonsense words and cursed his parents for having him. Then she cursed his grandparents for having his parents. After a while, Lord of Nightmare's name came up next on the killing block.

"It's okay." Gourry whispered in his most soothing voice, brushing hair away from her face. She tried to bite him.

He continued to stroke her hair, dodging teeth and claws and talons. What else could he do? Maybe she had been possessed again? Only this time, Lina didn't seem to want to crawl on him and say that he was 'just her type.' But, there was still time…

She batted away his hand with her own claw-like hand and decided kicking him would be a good strategy. Gourry unprepared for a foot aimed for his crotch, suddenly threw her up in the air. It hadn't been a planned move, just instinctive. This sort of thing hadn't worked with his other pets, but his little cousins had seemed to enjoy it.

Lina, however, was also not a baby. She jackknifed in the air, kicking her best friend in the face before falling into a puddle of chocolate, nuts, butterscotch, whipped cream, honey, cameral, sprinkles, and dragon-shaped cone with a 'splat' and a 'crunch.' She was not too forgone as to notice the lack of cherries and the red stains that had been around Gourry's mouth and mentally stored that knowledge away from a better time. The sorceress extraordinaire/explosion/extinguisher had twisted in midair, and had then had landed on her stomach. Out had gone all of her air.

Exquisite pain rushed through her as her jaw clicked from the impact of person-on-stone. She bit her tongue, tasting blood and wondering if her knees had been replaced with hot stones. Her stomach and especially her ribs ached. Everything felt bruised and mashed. Due to her expert knowledge of Lina's-pain, the red-head had a good feeling that this wasn't good and that even with a healer she would be sore for a few days .With a weak hand, Lina began to drag herself forward.

Get Away! Run! Escape! Freedom! Need to before—

"Hello, dear sister." A voice, so smug, so sweet, and so evil, repeated.

Another choking noise came from Lina's throat and she wondered who was killing turkeys nearby. A nice turkey dinner would be good andohmygodLuna'sherehelpme--

She took inventory, not looking up at Luna. At least she didn't pass out this time. And it didn't feel like she'd wet herself. So, some dignity had remained. It was still a bad situation with no possible good outcome.

Unless of course, she had gone insane or had been drugged and this was all a hallucination. That would be nice. But did you normally feel pain if it was just your imagination at work?

If this was just a dream, an illusion, why was there no Xellos being roasted on a stick with hula outfitted Zel and Amelia dancing around it. Where was Filia taking care of a polite mama's boy little Val? There didn't seem to be a happy and content Sylphiel raising some kids with a husband and helping to rebuild Sairraag? And…_where was her naked-excluding-toppings-Gourry?_

Amelia and her father were wrong: there was no justice in this world.

Lina let her head drop into a puddle of whipped cream and sprinkles and hoped that the Lord of Nightmares was willing to forgive her earlier comments (Lina didn't _seriously_ think LoN had done a terrible job even if she hadn't given Gourry a brain, and had created his ancestors) and show her enough pity to strike her down now.

Oh and here were those nice flowers again…Maybe _this_ was it, LoN's mercy?

Hopefully, Luna wouldn't be able to follow her in the Sea of Chaos.

* * *

"What's wrong with her, ma'am?"

Oh, _there_ was quite a list.

Cautiously, Gourry poked his unconscious friend. She didn't move, not even when he poked her chest and asked if she'd like some syrup on those pancakes.

Luna smirked, loving every moment. She had so many questions to ask her little sister, starting with where she'd found this young man. Then the grilling and screaming (certainly not from her though) would come. In the meantime though, they might want to move to a more pleasant place to talk. This town was close to a few of the main roads that supplied the dessert Lina the still-and-forever glutton had been devouring. There was bound to be plenty of nice inns scattered about.

"Come on Mister Gabriev." She made a motion towards Lina and Gourry found himself easily and quickly picking the red-head up. He lifted her dead weight up easily and wondered for the fiftieth-million time how Lina could be so small and weigh so little. Lina had been scarfing down all that nut-and-sprinkle-covered ice cream like she only had five minutes to life, yet somehow she seemed to weigh as much as a feather.

"Let's find someplace to eat and relax."

All of Gourry's unease disappeared. This lady was a bit weird, and there was something odd going on with Lina. But she seemed nice enough, wasn't Xellos, and if he played his cards right, was going to pay for a meal or two. "Sure ma'am. And you don't have to call me 'Mister Gabriev' you know. Just Gourry is fine."

"Oh, now that wouldn't be polite now would it?" She smiled. Plans involving lots of white and lots of this man were forming. No ring on the finger, but soon. If she was reading this situation right anyway.

"After all, you are a what? Prince of some sort?" No, he didn't seem at all like a prince, but one never knew. Luna had once met Saillune's Crown Prince.

"Huh?" He scratched his head using on one of Lina's shoulder guards. "Nope. Not me."

"Nobleman?"

"Uh-I don't think so." He wiped the cherry stains from around his lips.

"A well-paid, famous mercenary then?"

"Lina takes all my money." He tried rearranging Lina into a human donut.

So, Lina hadn't forgotten everything she'd taught her. But still, there were complications. Small ones that could be dealt with, however. Their father would be more than willing to pay for most if not all the wedding. He'd probably be so happy to have Lina back he'd pay for just about anything she'd ask. Their mother might fuss a bit more, but not much.

"May I ask where you met my sister exactly?" Her tone became a less calm –no-big deal-and a lot more curious and human. More like Lina's actually.

"Oh, um, that's a long story." Long stories were not his thing. Maybe after Lina woke up, she could tell this lady everything. Gods knew Lina loved to talk…

Gourry did another double take.

Luna continued to smile. This was certainly familiar.

"_Sister_?"

"Oh, yes, Lina is my dear sister. Did you not hear me before?"

"I-I guess not." The swordsman sounded confused. This was Lina's sister? _Her?_ But…He glanced down at Lina's face with enough force to nearly give himself a whiplash. Then he looked at Luna's face. They didn't look alike.

The blond man continued to compare their faces before moving his eyes downward. Nope, they definitely didn't look alike.

Luna stood still for the inspection, wondering where the nearest inn was and if Lina had enough money on her to cover the fanciest room she could find. All though Luna had the heart of a true 'thrifty' and could talk the best merchants into giving her the very clothes off his back, Lina needed to be punished. Since Lina was unconscious and appeared determined to stay that way, the first thing her big sister would question was her purse.

"So, _where_ did you say you met Lina?"

"Uh…" Even the creases that formed when he was deep in thought were attractive. Luna grudgingly supposed she could understand why Lina traveled with him. He had to be one of the best looking men she'd seen, and his ability to withstand her glare was nothing short of amazing. Lina could do worse. "It was a while ago I guess. In a forest. She'd been attacked by some bandits and I helped her out." At this, the swordsman smiled fondly. He shrugged as though saying 'The rest is history.'

Luna stopped looking around the market and turned a frown onto Gourry. "What?"

"Huh? Well, Lina had been fighting these bandits over…I can't remember. But I met her then. I think it was like three years ago. And we've been traveling together ever since." He nodded, fairly sure that was what had happened.

The woman was unable to decide which thread to pull at. 'Why had Lina needed his help' was a good one, but she was also a bit concerned about their relationship. If they were together, why not married? If not together, then why did Gourry continue to travel along with the short sorceress? He had just said a minute ago that Lina was the one controlling all the money.

No money, no sexual relationship (as far as Luna could tell. The man seemed unembarrassed with carrying Lina around, so who knew), no honor or fame (Lina hogged the spotlight)…

"So, why exactly do you travel with my sister Just-Gourry?"

"She needs me." The blond responded simply.

Her mouth tightened. "Needs you? For what? I had thought Lina was an accomplished sorceress--"

"Yeah, but sometimes she needs extra help. Plus we're friends. Plus I swore I'd protect her." He shifted Lina around, not finding the questions uncomfortable, but her tone was beginning to make him nervous. Lina had never told him anything specific about her sister, but he still remembered the way she'd reacted over that note Filia had given to her. It had taken a _long_ time to get her to come out of the triangle thing.

Luna turned away from him and eyed a neat building. It was painted a pleasant off white, full of people despite the weather and even Gourry could tell it was an expensive place. She smiled and motioned to the swordsman. Instincts, some of his earliest first developed after meeting his red headed friend, automatically told him to follow.

As they entered and pushed their way through the crowd, Luna gave him a small cat-like smile. It was like Lina's. "So, you swore to protect her…?"

The bed beneath her was comfortingly solid. It was real; this was real. She was alive and bless all the Gods for not waking up near Luna.

There was a neat little desk, clean white sheets, a small but comfortable looking chair and pretty drapes covered the windows that let in what little breeze there was. Lina relaxed.

Surely her sister wouldn't kill her in this room. The back splatter from all the blood would completely ruin this nice place. Luna definitely wouldn't want to have to pay for it to be cleaned up. Of course, Luna might just strangle her. Or just unleash a few of her weapons and let Lina's heart attack do the work for her.

If it wasn't for the pain quickly spreading throughout her body as she awakened, Lina might have believed it was all a dream. But, even after all these years, the red-head was well aware of the pain that automatically would follow a meeting with Luna.

It would have been so nice if it had all been a dream though. So easy to chalk it up to all that ice cream she'd eaten; if that stuff could give you a brain freeze, who knew what else it might cause. Those clams she'd had earlier, they could have been poisoned for all she knew. Those sprinkles! Of course! Their suspicious shape should have warned her! All that combined with the heat? It was a wonder she was still alive and had managed to get along for so long.

But then, as she constantly told people, she was a wonder. Smirking at her slightly less-bruised ego, Lina began to sit up and inspect her surroundings clearer. Yes, it was a decent room and had probably cost quite a penny.

She shifted and realized something was very amiss in the world. Something had happened, something nearly as bad as Luna showing up. In fact, it was just the final touch on this terrible day.

With an unsteady hand, the sorceress reached for her purse.

* * *

"Hey, Lina?" Gourry knocked on the door, the heavy tray balanced easily in his arms.

He was about to maneuver his way through the door when he heard the shriek. Almost immediately, he threw the tray to the side, not noticing when Luna caught it without missing a beat, and began to tear open the door. So focused on the task, the swordsman missed Luna calm, sure smile. She would have been surprised if Lina hadn't acted this way.

After all, this inn wasn't cheap and even she could only haggle so much.

* * *

Lina continued to shriek, while she went through her purse, counting the money. Her hands were steady, and she sat on the bed. There was no immediate danger that Gourry saw, and Lina looked like a weirdo.

She turned, her eyes wide and panicked. The swordsman wished he could say something to calm her down, but words were lost. He didn't even know what her problem was. The sorceress trembled.

"Gourry, please, tell me…"

She swallowed. "Tell me it was all a dream. And you've got the rest of my money."

Gourry smiled, peaceful and relieved, albeit confused. She was okay; she had just had a bad dream.

"_What_ was a dream, Lina?"

Lina could have slapped him.

"Everything! Tell me she's not here!"

"Who?"

"Who do you think?! That…monster…"

"Xellos? No, I thought she was Xellos too, but it turns out she's--"

"--Hello, little sister."

Lina shrieked again. In the dark recesses of her mind that was always calm despite how crazy the rest of her was, the usually unused part that consisted of her self-control, noticed that Luna did look a bit like Xellos. She sat there on the bed, mouth open, screaming, until her body gave up and she collapsed sideways. Her mouth was still open, though her eyes were vacant and open.

Gourry stared.

Luna rolled her eyes.

Lina, always with the escapism. If it wasn't hiding in the back of the store, it was huddling under a pile of dirty clothes in the basement. If it wasn't joining the Sorcerer's Guild, it was running off into the wide world with nothing much more than the clothes on her back and a fourth of the cash register.

The red head, looking shockingly bright against the white sheets, reached behind her and grabbed a pillow. She curled around it and let out a low moan. Her eyes had remained glassy through out.

Gourry, trying to be helpful, hesitantly walked closer. He grabbed the bedspread, hoping to cover the young woman with it. It didn't work, and resulted in Lina flying off the bed and landing in an unstaring pile of red and yellow.

Luna watched the blond man cover her slumped body with the blanket.

"You think I should move her to the bed?" Gourry asked the woman besides him nervously.

She shrugged. "I suppose so. It will make things easier."

The swordsman thought of asked about what 'it' was, but decided not to. Something told him it was 'family stuff.'

For the second time that day, Gourry picked his friend up. This time, he did is with more reservations. She was still light, but her eyes were giving him the creeps. He deposited her on the bed and tried to close them. She slapped his hand away before dissolving again into a coma patient. Gourry was encouraged, even if his hand hurt now.

He turned to Luna, not consciously aware that he was doing what he did with Lina in time of confusion.

She didn't answer his unspoken question of 'What now.' Luna gave the small not-quite-there huddled figure a small smile.

Any unease about her Gourry felt disappeared. He knew without a doubt that Luna didn't mean Lina any harm whatsoever. The tall woman had that smile that Lina occasionally got on her face. The nice, sweet, rare one.

"You know, sometimes Gourry, my sister's not too bad."

Gourry had no idea what she was talking about, and at the same time agreed completely with her statement.

She stood up and left the substantially filled tray on the desk. Just after opening the door and talking the first step into the hallway, she turned and gave Gourry a piecing look. "When she wakes up, make sure to tell me."

Gourry could only nod and look over at the sorceress. She was still out of it, but for a moment she had shivered.

* * *

"Every family has problems, Lina." The chair squeaked as he rocked back and forth and watched her.

"Not like mine," she responded slowly.

"Really? What about Amelia and her dad? And that other kid? And her uncle? And weren't Zel and that squinty guy related?" Squeak.

"…Squinty guy?" The noise was beginning to bother her. What was he doing?

"Yeah, um, we fought his twin or something. Right?" Squeak.

Lina took a deep breathe, wondering if correcting him was worth the energy. And what was the point of looking at him to see what he was going? Was it really worth it to tell him to stop messing with the chair like a retarded five year old?

"Yes Gourry, that's exactly right." He beamed at her. The chair squeaked again, loud enough to make Lina think she would go deaf, and then Gourry settled down. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was straddling the back of the chair that looked too small—Lina nearly slapped herself for thinking of the word 'straddling.' It was…a dangerous word. Gourry was still smiling triumphantly.

You know, she should just do this from now on, should have done it from the beginning. It was nice being the smart one, but it got tiring explaining everything to her friend. Just agreeing with some of his stupid comments was easier. Plus he looked nice when he smiled. And it got him to stop squeaking the chair. But, well, she so loved always being right and knowing all the answers.

Lina rolled over, feeling bored and stressed out and now oddly frustrated after looking at her smiling friend. His hair looked bright gold and perfect in the light and Lina wanted to tug at it, and then braid it funnily. She also wanted to leave, but if she ran, Luna would come after her. And she would be even angrier.

So, no leaving for now.

Slowly, Lina closed her eyes and shifted until she was comfortable. Her own hair was spread everywhere and was probably a mess. But what was the point of pulling out a comb? When they fixed her body up for the funeral, it could be straightened out then. Right now, it was nice to just lay here. She missed Gourry's gaze, half predatory half admiring, and entirely enough to make Lina blush hard enough to have a stroke.

"So, what's the deal with _your_ family?"

Gourry shrugged. He rested his forearms on the chair then rested his head on them. His eyes were somber and a shade darker than normal.

"I don't remember a lot of the family stories and stuff like that." That sounded so weird that Lina opened her eyes, curiosity and nosiness overriding her weariness. He messed around with his shoes with more attention than Lina thought was necessary or in character. He was hiding something. Lina sat up.

"But…you do remember _some_ stuff about your family? Right?" Her eyes watched him sharply, though she was so excited she bounced on the bed hard enough to make _it _squeak. The blond watched her from the corner of his eye.

"Sure." Gourry shrugged too casually.

"So…"

The swordsman looked at her expectantly.

Lina reached out and whacked his knee. Again, she missed the look her friend gave her. "Tell me about them, moron."

"What about them?"

"Like, how many siblings, what are your parents like, stuff like that."

Gourry shifted in his seat, and Lina almost jumped up to grab him. For a second, she was sure he was about to run out of the room with a lame excuse.

"I have a brother. Parents. A few cousins and uncles and aunts. My grandpa."

"Alright, tell me about them."

"My grandfather met my grandma when she came to study the elves."

"…what?" Her face was blank and dangerous, but Gourry didn't see what the big deal was.

"My grandmamma was a sorceress," he explained at a slower pace than usual. As though Lina had suffered sever head trauma. "She came to Mipross to study the elfish culture. My grandpap was close to the elves and ended up showing her around the island. Then they fell in love and got married."

Lina looked ready to strangle someone. It was frightening, but still less frightening then when she had looked so depressed and ready to give up.

"Mipross!?"

"Yes."

"Mipross?"

"Yep."

"Mipross!"

"Hmm, yeah, I think so."

Lina threw a pillow at his head. "Elves!?"

"Yeah."

"Sorceress?!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Grandpap!?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Mipross! Elves! Sorceress! Grandpap!"

Gourry gave her a nod.

"Rowdy?" Another nod, thought this one was surprised.

"My grandpap?"

"Yes!"

"Yes."

"Okay." Lina flopped onto the bed. She wrapped a blanket around herself and thought about Mipross, and Rowdy and the Sword of Light and elves. Then Naga. She curled up tighter and thought about sobbing into her one of her remaining pillow. Who cared about saving face anymore? Game over, game over.

Gourry poked her. The sorceress only pulled the pillow closer.

After a few moments of Lina squeezing the pillow and Gourry picking at his fingernails, the sorceress became bored and turned around. She tossed the pillow at his head, feeling it was somehow necessary.

Lina continued as though there had been no interruption. "And your parents?"

"They're…alright." Once again, he did that not-quite-comfortable- shrug. He leaned forward in the chair. His expression was even more serious than before.

"I'm pretty close to my Grandpap. How'd you know his name?"

"Uh…" She nearly launched into the story about how she'd met his 'grandpap' before deciding it didn't matter. Besides, the ending was kind of embarrassing and she didn't want to hear Gourry make any cracks about her chest.

"Can you read my mind, Lina?" He asked seriously, frowning in concentration.

"Yes Gourry."

"It's a wonder you don't hit me more then..."

"What?"

"Seriously, can you? You sorcerers can do a lot of weird things."

"Sorceress, thank you."

"Whatever. Can you?"

Lina rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you're thinking about what's for dinner."

"Nope."

"Lunch?"

"No."

"Wow, all this time around me has improved your brain power. You can think more into the future now--You wonder what's for breakfast."

"Eh, not really."

"I know," she said, jumping up with some of her energy restored at the thought of feeding her ego. "You're thinking about how lucky you are to be traveling with such a beautiful and talented sorceress, and how happy you are that I'm not like my sister."

"Huh? Pretty close."

"Really?" She paused in mid-pose to look at her guardian. Had he finally realized how great she was? It had taken years, but Gourry was a slow learner. Maybe it had been the appearance of her scary sister that made him realize how lucky he was to be traveling with this particular Inverse?

"I was thinking about how different you two are? How come you're not stacked like she is?"

Her fist made a great sound when hitting his empty skull. Not as nice as the sound of a full purse jingling, but still good.

"Seriously," Gourry said, rubbing his forehead. "I thought siblings looked more like each other. I know I look a bit like my brother."

Lina did a double-take. This was exactly the second time he'd mentioned his brother. Hook, line and sinker, although neither of them had precisely thrown the line or wanted to go fishing. Lina now had to know everything about his sibling.

She flopped back on the bed, jumping right back up when she landed on the stuff stashed away in her cloak. The sorceress leaned forward and began messed with the cape while Gourry watched interested. She looked like she needed some help, but even he knew that it was safer to avoid touching Lina's butt. Even if she was uncomfortable, and her butt looked cute and he bet it was nice for squeezing— her eyes caught his and he wondered where she would hit him first.

"What are you staring at?" Lina asked, suspicious.

"Nothing. Just wondering if you were going to eat that food on the desk—"

As he finished, Lina hopped back on the bed, careful to avoid landing on the pointy stuff in her cloak. The food smelled great, and she savored the odor for a moment. Things seemed to be looking up. Then Gourry snatched at a roll and Lina decided it was time for their Lunch Time War. It had been an eternity since they'd last done something so normal.

* * *

She landed back on her stomach, one hand going to comb through her hair. Gourry watched her, lounging comfortable on the chair. He wanted to lean forward and poke at her stomach, but was too comfy to fight with her right now.

"So, you mentioned your brother?"

He gave her a sharp look. Weren't they done talking about families?

The blond took a deep breathe. "My brother…" He stopped abruptly, looking away. Lina leaned forward.

"What's wrong with your—?"

"Why do you suddenly care so much about my family?" Gourry said suddenly. He eyed her with more suspicion than was usual. The sorceress shrugged.

"Just curious. I was wondering if you had your own Luna in the family."

Gourry scratched his chin thoughtfully. "No, I think Luna's only part of _your _family Lina."

The slipper made contact with his forehead and Lina felt some satisfaction as some of the built up tension disappeared.

Her best friend gave her a slight grin.

"I'm going to get something more to eat." The swordsman stood up, reaching out briefly to muss her hair. "Your sister's right: sometimes, you're not too bad." He gave her a clumsy wink.

Nimbly, he dodged the blow to his thigh and hurried out the door. It wasn't until later than Lina realized he had avoided the question about his brother. Wait, Luna had said that she wasn't too bad?

* * *

"She's all yours." Gourry pointed with his thumb to the door. Luna nodded.

"Thank you."

* * *

"So…"

"So…" Lina shoved her head further under the pillow.

"I see you're still alive."

"Obviously." Lina retorted, before flinching away.

Luna smirked. Lina could defeat as many Mazoku as she wanted, but she, Luna, would always be able to make her sister flinch.

"Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?"

Lina huddled under the blankets.

"You should have seen mom and dad after you left with that pitiful note. What were you thinking?" Her voice didn't raise a decibel, but it was acid to Lina's ears.

She hadn't thought about her parents very much since she'd left home. At first, they were all she'd thought about. Lina had been so homesick she could barely eat and all she could dream about was her parent's faces after finding out she'd left. Every store reminded her of her parents and the sight of wine made her ill with guilt. Then, she woke up one morning and realized that she would never have to see her sister again. No more Luna.

After that, Lina slept grew used to traveling, and slept the next night like a baby.

Luna still had an effect on her though. It hadn't loosened since she'd left. But, she had faced worse. And Gourry was just downstairs and wouldn't let someone hurt her. It was a stupid thought, Gourry was probably pigging out in the restaurant and not thinking about her, but it was still comforting. He was her guardian after all.

Being enraged was nothing new to Lina of course, but she'd never felt it in Luna's company. Instead of that usual mindless terror, she felt a thin flicker of anger. The image of Gourry right down the stairs and drinking his usual after-meal glass of milk popped into her head and the flicker grew. For some reason, she saw an image of Gourry looking surprised at her fear towards her sister. Then maybe a bit…exasperated? Mad?

'_Come on Lina, she's just your sister. She's not a monster from the netherworld._' It was Gourry's voice, though she knew he only had a clue about the netherworld in her fantasies. Lina's fists clenched the blankets. Maybe, just maybe, she could get through this. Or not.

'_You don't understand. You just don't _get it jellyfish_—_

'_You've faced worse than this. What about all those other people we've faced? Only you could've fought them and lived to tell about it. Now, you're going to let her talk to you like that? That's not the Lina I know.' _

'_She's—_

'_Human. She's got weaknesses like everyone else. Pull it together Lina.' _It was so damn simple and so Gourry. But, if Gourry had no trouble with facing her sister, than neither did she. Right?

"You're so damn irresponsible sometimes. So thoughtless."

Lina believed for a second that her heart had caught fire. All she could see was red, and that flame of anger grew into an inferno of rage. Lina couldn't think, her head pounded and she threw the blankets at her sister.

"Yeah, well, where were you?! I had to fight all that crap on my own. You think that was easy. Isn't that stuff your job? But you were too busy being a know-it-all and working as a _waitress_." The last word was spat out, like a swear. Luna just stood there and looked at the younger woman. Luna's mouth twitched, and Lina's courage failed her. She just sat there, eyes focused on the floor.

"I'm sorry." For a second, Lina thought she'd spoken out loud. But it had been Luna.

"Wha--?" Lina nearly swallowed her tongue.

"I'm sorry."

The sorceress looked at her, eyes wide and disbelieving. The anger disappeared and her heart was replaced with ice.

Luna continued calmly. "I apologize. I should have helped. With some of it. Especially with Dark Star. I came looking for you in the first place to say that." Unlike her sister, Luna had no problem with admitting her feelings. She was sorry. She did wish she could have helped Lina, but hell, Lina was here and fine. Her sister wasn't a little kid anymore, and Luna hadn't done such a bad job raising her.

"I'm proud of you, Lina."

They stared at each other. Lina mouth was wide enough to fit her foot into. Her older sister stood up, and straightened her dress. She smiled at the younger woman.

Neither of them said a word. Lina couldn't muster out anything, and Luna had nothing more to say.

After staring at the red haired girl, the waitress decided it was time to leave. Or at least go downstairs and get something to eat. An evil part of her wanted to tell Lina she was leaving, make a big production out of it, then wait downstairs and surprise Lina when she came down. Jump out as Lina walked down the stairs, happy that her sister was gone. Then something else occurred to her and she grinned and waiting at the entrance of the room.

No, she had places to be. But there was still some way to mess with Lina's head before she left.

"Are you going to, um, hang around?" For a second, Lina wanted her sister to stay and to talk to her for a few minutes. Maybe say that she was sorry for everything and to, well, have some kind of bonding moment. Something nice that she could replace in her mind when she thought of Luna, instead of all those horrible ones involving ritual torture.

Luna shrugged. "I don't think so. I have to pick up some extra shifts to make up for this trip." Her hand was on the doorknob, and Lina felt disappointed. Sometimes, Lina Inverse could amaze herself.

The older woman gave her sister a small shark grin. "Besides, I'm going to be busy planning your wedding with that Gourry fellow." She closed the door before Lina could muster a reply.

The sorceress stared at the door. There was no feeling left in any of her limbs and she collapsed again on her side. Images of a wedding, her parents crying, her friends smirking/giggling and throwing rice, Gourry in a nice light blue tux, and the 'wedding night' ran through her head and she grabbed the remaining pillow and covered her head.

Why again had she thought today would be a good day?


End file.
